Washing-machine.



E. F. CASSE L.

' WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB, 28.!9l4.

Patented July 2, 1918.

I gnvanfo'c wil'neooeo Emma r. cAs'sEL, or New 201m, N. Y.

WASHING-MACHINE.

Speciflcationof Letters iatcnt.

Patented July 2,, 1913.

Application filed rebruar as, 1914.' Serial No. 821,695.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELMER F. CAssEL, a

' citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements 'incWashing-Machines,

of. which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus in which aqueous baths or solutions are em;

ployed for separating materials.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus constructed to impart a desirable agitation to the materials being treated, tending to facilitate the separation thereof. A further object is to provide an apparatus provided with means. for ejectin different points. further obj ectis to provide means whereby the lengthof time of the agitation of the materials being separated, may be increased without changing the degree of agitation.

The invention .will be hereinafter fully set forth and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a. longitudinal sectional view of a washing apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an end view thereof. Fi 3 i's-a diagrammatic view illustrating the mechanism for rotating the apparatus.

Fig.4: is a detail view illustrating a revers ingcam,

' eferring tothe drawings, 10, 10, 'desig nate bases provided with pedestals' 11 11*, arranged in pairs and provided with earings or short shafts=12 which carry bearing wheels 13, 14, respectively. A cylinder 15 is provided at each end with neck-like portions 16 'providedwith orifices 17, 18, respectively said necks being surrounded by bearing collars 19, 20, respectively, said collars resting upon the wheels 13, 14, whereby the cylinder isrotatably supported. The bearing wheels 1 L may be in the form of toothed pini'on's and thebearing ring 20in the form of a toothed ear; meshing therewith. By this meansjt e cylinder may be rotated by the rotation of'the bearing wheel '14, to which power is applied in an suita-.

ble manner. The interior .of the cyhnder is provided with a continuous channel 21 formed by ahelically arranged flange 22, a cylindrical space being formed in the mid dle of the cylinder by the edges of said flanges. A. pipe 23 leads into the orifice 1,7-

separated materials at which have been introducedthrough the orifice 18 by means of chute 25, normally in a forward direction toward the .orifice- 17. I The aqueous bath or washing fluid is intro-J duced through the pipe 23, orv any 'dther suitable means, and its -flow causes other particles to be conducted toward a different orifice 18. It is also desirable to have the axis-of the plane of the cylinder adjustable. For this purpose I have illustrated the pedestals 11 with sleeve-like portions 30' in which are loosely inserted threaded shafts 31 which support bearing members for the shafts 12 of the bearing wheels 14. The nut 32 resting on top' of the sleeve 30 permits the bearing to be elevated or depressed as may be desired. The tendency therefore is to cause a separation of the particles of the material being treated, certain particles being deposited in the saidhelical channel, and other particles remaining in suspense in the flowing liquid, thereby causing one class of particles to be propelled toward one discharge point of the apparatus, bythe progressive movement of the helical chan- ,nel. and another class of particles to be propel'led, toward a different discharge point,

by the flow of the liquid, as is well known in the art of separation of particles by agitation in a flowing-liquid. In said art it is well known that different materials. contain,

of agitation in combination with a givenrate. of'flow of liquid, producing the most desired resultin the separation of the particles of a given class of material; This applies'to minute particles, to particles of great magnitude, and to all intermediate gradations. and mixtures of particles. In an apparatus for the practice of this art, it is further desirable that a definite degree of agitation may be maintained, in combinasecure the desired result.

tion with different lengths of time of agitation, thus making the apparatus adjustable to the definite characteristics of settling qualities of the particles, where the tlme of agitation requires tobe varied, without varying the degree of agitation, in order to The progress ve and reverse revolutions of the helical channel 15 furnish a desirable agitation, tending to facilitate the separation of the particles being treated, and the means, described in the following paragraph, for varying'the rate of progression of the progressive forward and reverse revolutions, provides a means for adjusting the apparatus to the time of agitationbest suited to a given material, without changing the degree of agitation.

Means for varying the length of time of agitation with respect to the de ree of agitation may be provided'by the ollowing or any other suitable means. In the drawing I have shown for the purpose of illustration a segment driven by suitable means,

such as motor 35, which segment may be of any desired length. In the illustration this segment acts as a cam to operate an arm36 pivotally supported in any suitable manner and provided with contacts 38 arranged to engage current contacts 39 infhe well known manner of a reversing switch in the electrical art, whereby the direction of rotation of the motor is periodically reversed. By means of this arrangement the; cylinder 15 may be rotated in a forward direction for atime and then in'the reverse direction for a different length of time i. 6., by this means the cylinder may be rotated in a progressive direction with relation to the action of the spiral channel 21, say for two revolutions, and then be rotated in a retrogressive direction, say for one revolution, the result being that with the same speed of rotation, which determines the degree of agitation of the materials within the cylinder, the materials having only pro which the cam is formed of two. relatively I adjustable cam members a, I), held in ad-.

justed relation by a pin 0. The length of the cam may be varied by rotating one cam member relatively to the other and locking the same in adjusted position by pin a.

From what has beensaid it will be readily understood that my improved washing apf paratus is very simple in onstruction and efvaried.

mn sa ficient in operation. It is also capable of wide and varied application. 7 For instance by constructing the spiral channel 21 of suitable width and making the flanges 22 of proper height the apparatusmay be utilized for laundry purposes,, the clothes being introcondition, the dirt, or separated material ,fiowing outgthe other end. By slightly changing the width and depth of the spiral channel the machine may be readily adapted 'for'washing coal and the like, the, materials to be washed being introduced by the chute 25 and discharged through the orifice 17, the water being introduced through pipe 23. By making the spiral channe121 of a different width and proper relative depth the machine may be utilized for separating materials of various kinds. These changes. are such varlatlons as would at once suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art and being changes in degree have not been illustrated.

Having thus explained the nature of my invention and described an operative man her of constructing and using the same, although without attempting to set forth all of the forms in which it may be made, or

all of the forms of its use, what I claim 1. An apparatus .for separating material comprising a rotatably mounted helical channel, means for automatically imparting alternate opposite rotations to said channel. with periods of rotation in one directionof longer-duration than the periods of rotation in the other'direction.

. 2. ,An appaI'atus for separating'material comprising a rotatably mounted helical channel, means for automatically imparting altflrl'nate opposite rotations to said channel, w1 longer duration than the periods of rotation in the other direction, tions of said plane. I

3. An apparatus for separating material comprlsmg a rotatably mounted helical channel, means for automatically imparting alternate opposite rotations to said channel, with periods ofrotation in"one direction of longer duration than. the periods of rotation in the other direction, and means whereby the relative periods of rotation may be channel being in the same periods of rotation in one direction ofthe bottom por- 4. An apparatus for separating material comprising a rotatably mounted helical channel, means for automatically imparting. alternate opposite rotations to said channel, withperiods of rotation in one'direction of longer duration than the periods of rotationchannel, and means for automatically imparting alternate forward and reverse rotations to said channel, with periods of forward rotation of longer duration than the periods of reverse rotation.

' A 6. Anapparatus for separating material comprising a rotatably mounted helical channel, means for automatically imparting alternate opposite rotations to said channel, with periods of rotation in one direction of longer duration than the periods of rotation in the other direction, and means for subjecting material in said channel to the action of an aqueous solution traveling in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of greatest amplitude.

7. An apparatus for separating material comprising a rotatably mounted helical channel and means for automatically imparting alternate forward and reverse rotations to said channel, with periods of forward rotation of longer duration than the periods of'reverserotation, and means for subjecting material in said channel to the action of an aqueous solution traveling in a direction opposite to the forward rotations of said channel.

- 8. An apparatus for separating materials comprising a horizontally disposed rotatably supported cylinder open at each end and provided with an internal helical channel, and means for automatically imparting alternate opposite rotations to the said channel, with periods of rotation in one direc- 'tion of longer duration than the periods of rotation in the other direction.

9. An apparatus for separatlng materials comprising a horizontally disposed rotataprovided with an internal helical channel, and means for automatically imparting alternate opposite rotations to the said channel, with periods of rotation in one direction of longer duration than the periods of rotation in the other direction, and means for controlling the relative periods of rotation in either direction.

10. An apparatus for separating materials comprising a rotatably supported cylinder open at both ends and provided with an internal helical channel, means for rotating said cylinder, automatic controlling means for periodically changing the application of power by said rotating means to impart alternate forward and reverse rotations to said cylinder, and means governed by said controlling means for causing the movements inthe forward direction to be of longer duration than the movements in the reverse direction.

11. An improvement in washing machines comprising a rotatably supported cylinder open at each end and provided with an internal helical channel, and means for alternately rotating said cylinder in forward and reverse directions, the periods of forward rotation of longer duration than the periods of reverse rotation,

12. An improvement in washing'machines comprising a rotatably supported cylinder open at each end and having its inner surface provided with means for causing the material to be treated to travelfrom one end of the cylinder to the other, a motor for rotating said cylinder in a normally forward direction, and automatic means for tempo-" rarily reversing said motor for relatively short periods, the periods of reverse rotation 'being shorter than the periods of forward rotation.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WM. S. Honors, CHAS. E. Rronnon.

'bly supported cylinder open at each end and i 

